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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

DEAL OR NO DEAL – A proposed settlement confirmed with Purdue Pharma on Wednesday involving thousands of lawsuits could provide some monetary assurances for cities and counties with pending opioid cases, in the likely event that the drug maker files for bankruptcy. But, as Amanda Bronstad reports, several state attorneys general are balking at the deal as inadequate.

AFTER TRUMP – What's next for John Bolton? Ryan Lovelace reports on the potential options for the former national security adviser, including returning to Fox News as a contributor, where he was making about $570,000 from 2017 through May 2018. Going back to Kirkland, where he worked as of counsel for a decade until 2018, may be in the offing, or perhaps he could reprise his role at the American Enterprise Institute, where he worked from 2007 to 2018 and reported racking up $240,000 over a less than two-year period spanning 2017 and 2018, on top of a wealth of speaking fees.

E-HIRE – As Walmart maneuvers to compete in the e-commerce marketplace, the retail giant has hired former Amazon lawyer and executive Nuala O'Connor to serve as its first chief counsel of digital citizenship. What's that, you ask? Phillip Bantz reports that O'Connor, who will work from the company's D.C. office, will focus on privacy issues, cybersecurity and records management, but also on the ethical use of technology, including artificial intelligence.

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EDITOR'S PICKS

Supreme Court Won't Block Trump's New Asylum Rule, For Now

First Person of Color Named Canadian Bar Association President

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

GIGS – DAC Beachcroft is considering plans to launch a flexi-lawyer service, in what would be the latest such move by a top 50 U.K. law firm. Simon Lock reports that if the firm approves the change, it would bring aboard lawyers on a short-term contract basis to handle legal work. The idea, which forms part of the firm's broader innovation strategy, is under discussion among its management. In April, Linklaters launched its own contract lawyer platform, which allows the firm to take on lawyers on an interim basis to work on specific projects.

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WHAT YOU SAID

"Dr. Gapontsev is not a Russian oligarch. He is a leader of American business and a renowned scientist. He never belonged on the oligarchs list."

—  MICHAEL EDNEY, LAWYER FOR MOSCOW-BORN AMERICAN BUSINESSMAN VALENTIN GAPONTSEV, WHOM THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT NOW SAYS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN INCLUDED ON ITS PUBLIC LIST OF RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS WHO WERE PURPORTED CRONIES OF VLADMIR PUTIN.

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